Former Chelsea striker Demba Ba admits he would have welcomed a move to Premier League rivals Arsenal when the opportunity arose back in 2013.

But then Blues boss Jose Mourinho blocked the move.

“I think back to the day when Jose Mourinho blocked my Chelsea loan at Arsenal,” Ba told France Football, per Sky Sports.

“I was in Paris, at rest, and Arsenal representatives called me to tell me it was going to happen.

“I then came back to London for the medical. Upon arriving, I was left surprised that Mr Mourinho had blocked my move to Arsenal. Mesut Ozil arrived, and to strengthen a competitor like Arsenal was very complicated if it worked,” he added.

“I understand Mourinho’s decision as a coach, but as a player, you are frustrated,”

However Ba later explains his regret about leaving Stamford Bridge.

“Then, the second turning point comes when I decided to leave Chelsea for Besiktas. Mourinho came to ask me to stay, promising me more playing time next season,” he revealed.

“But upon returning from vacation, I decided not to follow his request. I thought it was probably going to be like the last season.

“In the end, there was only Diego Costa and if I had been there I would have actually played more.”

Manchester Evening News claim that Valencia will try to persuade the former Chelsea boss José Mourinho to take over next season with a giant financial package. Also Manuel Pellegrini seems to be in the race for this job, and both men are being linked with the vacant post at Valencia after Gary Neville was sacked on Wednesday.

Pellegrini is seen as the favourite to take over at the Mestalla, with the Chilean set to be replaced by Pep Guardiola at Manchester City at the end of the season.

AS reports that Valencia would pay Mourinho €19m-a-year and a signing bonus of €12.5m; Mourinho’s agent is Jorge Mendes, a confidant of Valencia owner Peter Lim. The Special One was linked to the vacancy at Valencia by the sacking of Nuno Santo in December when he was at Chelsea, but now he’s off-duty and then they are keen on persuading him again.

There are many chances for an intense negotiation between Chelsea and Juventus in the summer.

Paul Pogba is always on Blues’ wishlist but Bianconeri are not willing to sell him; though they expressed an interest in signing the Chelsea midfielder and Brazilian international Oscar and, according to Tuttosport,Beppe Marotta would be ready to fork out £24m for the 24-year-old during.

The same newspaper claims that Antonio Conte wants to revamp Chelsea’s midfield and Oscar may not be included in the Italian’s future plans, then Serie A champions remain interested in signing him and appear to be contemplating a potential move this summer.

Fullback Todd Kane, currentlyon loan at Dutch club NEC Nijmegen, has spoken out recently about his aim to do his best for Chelsea. Kane has spent the last four years away from Chelsea and he is hoping for a chance next season.

He said: “I’ve been out on loan for four years and I think I’ve learnt a lot more from playing men’s football than in the under-21s league. I’m near enough on the 100 mark of senior appearances.”

About Chelsea: “It’s been very good for me and you have to be realistic and know that only one or two will get opportunities at a big club like Chelsea. It’s the same at somewhere like Manchester United. Let’s be honest, Marcus Rashford got his chance at United because, to a degree, it’s fallen into place. He’s a great player but you have to get a bit of luck. I’ve learnt so much from being at Chelsea. From working and training with top quality players, I still speak to people from the club all the time, get advice from players, the Chelsea set-up is fantastic and I’ve definitely got no regrets.About NEC Nijmegen: “I’m really enjoying it in Holland. I had a look round the place and loved it straight away. It’s just what I needed. I’m living in the middle of nowhere, just focused on football — training and working hard. It’s a great test.Then he added: “But I’m hoping I will get a chance under the new manager at Chelsea this summer. Chelsea are good for the players out on loan. The technical director, Michael Emenalo, is a clever man, stays in regular contact and gives you a lot of encouragement.”

It is reported that ManchesterUnited are keen to sign long-term Chelsea target JohnStones.

The Everton centre-back has been on Chelsea‘s radar for a long time but the London club failed to lure Stones away from GoodisonPark.

Now, JoseMourinho is in line to become the new boss at ManchesterUnited, he could be looking towards Stones to strengthen the defence at OldTrafford. Mourinho always had a clear admiration for the 21-year-old and it would make sense for Mourinho to sign Stones for United as he is already developing a good partnership with ChrisSmalling at an international level.

However, it is said to be a staggering £40m+ offer to persuade Everton to part ways with JohnStones.

PremierLeague legend and football manager PauloDiCanio thinks that potential new Chelsea boss AntonioConte could do well in the top tier of English football.

DiCanio had a great career at WestHamUnited and then went into management once he retired. He had a short spell in the PremierLeague as manager of Sunderland, so he knows all about English football and how to present yourself to the media.

DiCanio told SkySportsNewsHQ that he has spoken to Conte in previous months, discussing the English league and how to act and build a good character.

“I have spoken to him, not about Chelsea, but about English football. We had a chat about it, but not about Chelsea – two months ago.

“He is a good guy and a good coach. He is a manager with the right mentality and work ethic and can help Chelsea change their direction.

“This year was incredible, if you think what Chelsea did last year. After three or four months it was clear the team didn’t have the same mentality, energy and desire. Incredible.

There were Chelsea players involved in World Cup qualifiers while another in an Olympic play-off.

Willian and Oscar failed to win their crucial match and are now struggling with going through the Final Stage. Brazil are now 6th in the table and the top four teams automatically progress to the finals, with the fifth-placed side entering a play-off.

Brazil scored two goals in the last 11 minutes to earn a point away from home against Paraguay in World Cup qualifying; Willian played the full game even scoring the first goal, while Oscar remained on the bench.

Juan Cuadrado, on loan at Juventus, played with Colombia in the impressive 3-1 win over Ecuador.

Michael Hector, who is on loan at Reading, played the full game for Jamaica as they were beaten 3-0 by Costa Rica.

Matt Miazga started for the US Under23 but was sent off when, as the last man, he was adjudged to have denied Colombia a goalscoring opportunity.

Express.co.uk claims that Gianluigi Donnarumma‘s agent Mino Raiola opened up about a move to the Premier League. Chelsea seem to be interested in signing the goalkeeper as a replacement for Thibaut Courtois but Manchester United have also been linked with the A.C. Milan’s 17-year-old.

He told Gazzetta dello Sport: “For me it proves nothing, if there was a similar offer it was evidently presented to Milan. I don’t know anything about this story, but if it’s true that there’s an offer of €38m, well I’d invest that money in signing Gigione.”

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